No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
SMITH AT COTA: Sammy Smith will run his first race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS). Smith has two previous NXS road course starts. His NXS debut came at Road America in 2022 and he finished third at Watkins Glen for his best finish of the 2022 season.
ATLANTA RECAP: Smith started the RAPTOR King of Tough 250 from the pole after qualifying was rained out on Friday. The No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra struggled in dirty air throughout the race. Smith finished the race in 17th.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Smith is eligible to compete for the 2023 NXS Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY). The other drivers competing for the title are Chandler Smith, Parker Retzlaff, and Blaine Perkins.
ARCA EAST CHAMPION x2: Smith defended his 2021 ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) Championship in 2022 on the strength of five wins and a top-five finish in all of the AMSE races. He also won four ARCA Menards Series races and one ARCA Menards Series West race in 2022.
ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief Jeff Meendering will head up the No. 18 team during the 2023 season. He has visited Victory Lane seven times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Phoenix in March 2023. His teams have collected 54 top-five finishes, 111 top-10 finishes, and 11 pole positions under his leadership.
JGR AT COTA: Joe Gibbs Racing owns one win and two pole awards in Xfinity Series competition at COTA. In the inaugural event at the track in 2021, Kyle Busch won the pole, led 35 of 46 laps and won the race driving JGR’s No. 54 Supra. Last season, Ty Gibbs also won the pole for JGR.
FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Smith’s 2023 NXS Seasons.
Twitter: @SammySmithSS I Facebook: Sammy Smith Racing I Instagram: @sammysmithss_
RACE INFO: The NXS Pit Boss 250 presented by USA Today at COTA is scheduled for 5:00 PM EST on Saturday, March 25. The race will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXM and available to stream on the FOX Sports app.
From the Driver’s Seat:
Sammy Smith: “COTA is a track I’ve been excited about getting to. I ran two road courses last year and was competitive in both races, so I feel like we will run well this weekend. It’ll be a good indicator of how we are on road courses and we can use what we learn this weekend to fine-tune our road course cars for the rest of the season. Our No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra is ready to go for race and I expect a good showing out in Texas.”
About Pilot Flying J:
Pilot Flying J, the largest network of travel centers in North America, is committed to connecting people and places with comfort, care and a smile at every stop. The Pilot Flying J Travel Center network includes over 750 locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces with more than 790 restaurants, 75,000 truck parking spaces, 5,300 deluxe showers, 6,200 diesel lanes and offers truck maintenance and tire service through Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J. Details on locations, amenities and rewards are available in the myRewards PlusTM app. More information on Pilot Flying J is available at www.pilotflyingj.com.
Pilot Flying J is part of the Pilot Company family of brands founded in 1958 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. For additional information about Pilot Company, its 30,000 team members and commitment to giving back, visit www.pilotcompany.com.
About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top 10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning five Cup Series championships and six Xfinity Series owner’s championships, along with more than 350 NASCAR races, including four Brickyard 400s and four Daytona 500s.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
